The Criminal Within

"Murder at Glen Athol" (although it could have been anywhere, but never mind, the location sounds interesting - and the MURDER, or rather the murders, certainly are MORE than interesting!) really has got ALL the ingredients of an absolutely first-class 'whodunit', with first and best a REALLY clever, intricate plot that's SURE to make you rack your brains a good deal, but just about 'fair' enough (no clues being held back or anything like that) for an eager and 'experienced' crime fan to find the solution.

And the moderate means of production DON'T change the fact that this movie is WAY superior to most of the other B murder mysteries of the time (and that's certainly saying something, because the 30s were the very apogee of the genre), and can even compete easily with quite some of the best A movie productions of the type! The acting is marvelous (although John Miljan, Irene Ware, and even Iris Adrian today remain familiar names probably only to real B movie friends - and yet they did better than MANY of their colleagues who are still famous today), and the film as a whole is very neatly balanced between murder mystery, gangster action, a touch of romance and a good dose of humor.

It's a REAL shame that today only absolute freaks seem to know of this little masterpiece (even I myself didn't know about its existence until recently); because it could provide GREAT suspense and entertainment for EVERY fan of classic movies - so if you ever come across it, DON'T miss it; and don't forget to make it known to others as well!

Reuben Marshall plays a detective on vacation in a ritzy suburb writing about his exploits when invited to a party where death visits a couple of the guests. Marshall, his Irish sidekick in tow, discovers who the culprit is in this very interesting little mystery dealing with an above-average mystery plot. The story has several red herrings laced into it and is compelling for its age and era. The acting is nothing spectacular, but everyone concerned does a workmanlike job. There is also a generous dose of humour within the mystery. Some of the characterizations are very one-dimensional, yet, as a whole, the picture is generally well-crafted. I think it is odd that the film does not have a little more noteriety as it is a much better film than many mysteries of the same period.

A famous detective gets invited to a swanky party at an elegant mansion, but finds himself searching for a killer after a murder occurs at the mansion.

A few people are murdered, starting with gaily amoral Muriel Randall (Iris Adrian), who has divorced one elderly husband (he becomes corpse number two), driven a younger second husband to insanity (he ends up with Rigor Mortis, too) and advancing vampishly on his younger brother - apart from her flings, she is using her inside-knowledge of a gangland rub-out to extort booze and cash from local racketeer Gus Colleti (Noel Madison).

When Muriel turns up stabbed in bed, it's no wonder that everyone is suspect - and Bill is especially keen on proving that the pretty Jane Maxwell (Irene Ware), first wife of the second husband, didn't do it. Cause he fancies her ...

Murder at Glen Athol is a wellcrafted mystery with interesting suspects and a clever detective who is well played by John Miljan- his sidekick isn't too annoying as he provides some humour. This mystery can be taxing in a sense you have to pay close attention in terms of suspects or you get lost (I found myself rewinding a few times). However, it's an engaging film with good acting, breezy energy and a good finale that had my brain doing somersaults to keep up with the hero's explanation of who was the murderer, and his stiff "chicken" was the trigger.

Before this film gets down to its real purpose as a standard Poverty Row low-budget who-done-it, there are a few scenes superbly acted and stolen by the young Iris Adrian as a mad cap society girl. Iris went on and on for years playing bit parts as a blowzy wise-cracking loud mouth in another 160 films but this film demonstrates what a first-rate actress she was. She might have gone on to a more brilliant career had anyone recognized how gifted she was. Irene Ware, the leading lady here, is very beautiful and very wooden. Just another face, but Iris is something else.

"Murder at Glen Athol" is a B-movie with a limited budget and mostly no-name stars. John Miljan stars in the film and he has a face you might recognize--he played bad guys in quite a few Bs. He was a pretty good actor and his lovely voice sounded a lot like a combination of Otto Kruger's and Charles Butterworth's--but he never became a big star. Instead, he found steady work in lower-budget films. Here in this film, however, it's one of those times where he actually got to play the hero--and he did a nice job of it.

Miljan plays a famous detective who is on vacation. And, like most famous factional detectives (such as Charlie Chan and Jessica Fletcher), a vacation means someone will get murdered and this cop will get called in to help the locals solve the crime. This is just one of those screen clichés you'll just need to accept without questioning.

So why did I like it enough to give it a 7 (which is a very high score for a B)? Well, the acting and production values were surprisingly good, the murder mystery and how Miljan's character dealt with the murders was unique and I liked the sidekick--who, though a bit dumb, wasn't THAT dumb and often was quite handy--something that you couldn't say about most detective sidekicks (such as Birmingham Brown or Dr. Watson). All in all, an enjoyable film that managed to be a bit better than you'd expect. And, considering you can download it free from the link on IMDb, that's plenty of reason to see it.